Second try

In looking at this board in the last year or so, it makes me wonder how we are going to get along. It seems the divides are so big, and the walls so high on so many issues, is there any ability left for compromise or understanding

Can fundermental Christians live with agnostics, can pro life and pro choice live together, pro gun, anti gun, immigration, I could go on and on

Are we now going to have a 4 year contest on competing view, that one side will win and one side will lose, followed by 4 years of fighting and complaining about it.

Have we become a nation of wall makers, and mote diggers, and stopped building bridges

Hope I have just woke up on the pessimistic side of the bed, and ya'll can talk me off the ledge 

It's always been like this, to a certain degree.

This era is different because we're actually seeing/hearing/reading more people speak their mind thanks to being connected 24/7.

Ain't technology grand? 

Agree with DP on that, we live in a time where we get to see the most intimate things about each other yet, yet we don't meet in the physical way as much anymore. That means too much info in general and no filters involving people we really aren't that close to a lot of the time.

We need to turn off the TV or watch more positive things. We still have control over what we feed our brains.

God blessed us with a beautiful world. It's literally all around us, but we must put our focus there to reap the benefits.

Yesterday I saw those beaver like creatures (can't remember what they're called) cross a street and go into the drainage under the street! Man are they cool. I could hear them in there too "talking" to each other. My mind was diverted, pleasantly so, and lost for a few minutes in nature, one of my favorite places. We need more of that in our lives. We need to connect more and spend less time on FB.

The aspects of Internet and social media do not feed the soul like it was meant to be fed, with eye contact, a touch, a smile and a hug. Instead we see and read what even strangers are saying, attach emotion, opinion and feelings that get us very riled up and only negativity comes from it, without even knowing someone. That's where there is so much division, and can be a truly incomplete representation of both parties.

And why I told Mr.Mark to have lunch with Soup. LOL 

I woke up to my daughters singing this:
"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands; one Nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all."

I'm not even joking! Where did this come from?! 

It's a long weekend. Too many of you spend too much time here. Get out of the house and do something. 

Ummmmm it's 9:00 AM and clearly you can't keep kids locked up all day... On our way to church then fun 😋 

Ummmm, not this exact moment. Over the long weekend.

At least you're getting out of the house. 

Well every moment counts! ;-P 

Sag, Dorothy - agree, it has all gotten so impersonal now. We don't sit and talk to each other, we log on and talk at each other. 

AMDG, you should really read the Bible. It just isn't going to happen. Too many will not seek God and His Kingdom. 

Disagreement is a healthy thing. Truth is usually somewhere between two extreme views. We need to learn to communicate better and treat each other's views with respect. 

You hit it Ray... 

Yes Ray, you're correct :) 

We come into contact with people we never would have met 30 years ago, and we wouldn't have sought out in the first place.

Now, we're connected on a global level and hear everyone's opinion, whether we want to or not. You can't have a conversation online...especially when you have multiple people involved.

So, keep perspective on what you see/hear/read, it makes life easier and more enjoyable. 

Respect on the Internet is a joke 

Reach out, know your neighbor and love your family and spend less time with the cowards online who hide behind their monikers 

Some say one can "invoke" respect by virtue of your words and deeds.... Total crap. If you are a target of haters, you will be hated, period. 

Grow thick skin and play with the big kids online or get off! 

AMDG, you should really read the Bible. It just isn't going to happen. Too many will not seek God and His Kingdom.?

I agree. It's really sad, the evil in this world. It won't change until Jesus returns..then it will be too late for most. We all need to humble ourselves before God and repent and try our hardest not to sin again. Accept Jesus Christ and love others, forgive those who hurt us, follow the 10 commandments. If we can't handle the petty problems of this world..how will we be able to handle what God has in store for us in Heaven. Its time for all of us to let go of our pride and selfish ways, and repent, and love and forgive our enemies, so that Jesus will forgive us. 

I suppose I could be nicer to dog owners. Sigh. 

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Some say one can "invoke" respect by virtue of your words and deeds.... Total crap. If you are a target of haters, you will be hated, period.

If I understand your point correctly, I don't agree. I still think if you treat people with respect, especially those you disagree with, Most will treat you with respect in return. Even online.

Certainly not all, but most. But do agree about the thick skin for those who don't. 

Paraphrasing Mark Twain:

Persons attempting to find a motive in KU will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to make sense in it will be shot. 

Also, my op was more about us as a society, not us as in KU. It seems we are so polarized that moderates seem to viewed more as weak or indecisive. Not as effective mediators capable of progress through compromise, and cooperation. 

I was just using KU as a microcosm of that thought. 

Now off to mass, and taking the good advice to enjoy the day 

It would certainly go a long way to making the world work better. The way ideas are presented affect the way they're taken. At least, with reasonable people. 

Can fundermental Christians live with agnostics, can pro life and pro choice live together, pro gun, anti gun, immigration, I could go on and on

Yes. When we convince you that you're wrong.

I'M KIDDING :)

Seriously though, it's really hard to determine the tone, and true intent of people on a message board. I would never actually 'hate' anyone, or wish anything ill upon anyone I've argued with on here. It's just a way to express opinions. 

The Golden Rule, "Do unto others...." If half the people here were treated the same way in person they way they treat people online, they would be reduced to blubbering in a corner and rocking back and forth. Words are powerful, People. Written words are often misunderstood. Learn to write so that you are understood clearly without question and without ridicule. Though we are not limited on how many words we can use, use them wisely. And remember, Silence is golden. 

The world is a FAR better off, and a much more educated place since the internet. 

@ TtS... ******LIKE****** 

Is we could ignore pot strrers, and respectfully state our opinions, we could have meaningful discussions without reducing their opinions to mud slinging insults- half the time the end result has nothing to do with the OT- 

"
The Golden Rule, "Do unto others...." If half the people here were treated the same way in person they way they treat people online, they would be reduced to blubbering in a corner and rocking back and forth. Words are powerful, People. Written words are often misunderstood. Learn to write so that you are understood clearly without question and without ridicule. Though we are not limited on how many words we can use, use them wisely. And remember, Silence is golden."





Absolutely true. The trolls and drama queens /crisis kings are missing something concrete in their lives. I'm not talking the jokester and those just having fun. Talking about the ones who have to insult and are nasty for no reason, the terms they use to describe whole groups of people are derogatory, they ARE nasty inside.

The Internet offers great exposure to information. That's its greatest value IMO. But the anonymity factor has taken accountability off the table. That's never a good thing for humans. And it has allowed for some ugly sides people have to be unleashed and exposed. The bullies have made Their presence well known through their internet activities.

IMO, the net has been more negative than positive. The loss of any real privacy, well, there are NO words for that kind of damage. :( 

So true. The loss of privacy is similar to being violated. It's a terrible invasion to most people- and I think it changes the perpetrators, and not in a good way. 

I think the Internet is wonderful for information gathering. I would never be as smart as I am without the internet. hahahaha But Social Media? That is what has changed society to 1 and 2 word lazy communication idiots. Responses like "nope", "WTF" and "meh" leave much to interpretation. People who communicate with minimal amount of words that texting, etc., requires create habits in real life. Listen to your teens. Teens rarely speak clearly anyway. They are now reduced to one and two word "sentences" out of habit through Social Media. The art of creative writing is dying. Hence, we lose creative conversation and resort to what we know best when caught in a corner, using Defense Mechanisms like Acting Out, or name calling, or Passive Aggressive Behavior. No worries. Those of us who still have the ability to write can spot you a mile away both in Social Media and in personal conversations. 

Absolutely true. The trolls and drama queens /crisis kings are missing something concrete in their lives. I'm not talking the jokester and those just having fun. Talking about the ones who have to insult and are nasty for no reason, the terms they use to describe whole groups of people are derogatory, they ARE nasty inside.

The same could be said about a laymens psycho analysis of anonymous posters, which some are likely teenagers yanking your chain.

You take this stuff to seriously. Read the Mark Twain quite I paraphrased. Google the meaning if you don't understand it. 

More snark- good example of passive- aggressive. So unnecessary. 

reduced to blubbering in a corner and rocking back and forth


This usually happens to me right after I read The Mark Music update. 

You confuse wit with snark.

Did you look up the meaning of the Mark Twain quote? 

Porter, you are so unkind. But I have to admit, Mr. Mark should not give up his day job.

Ok, now on to the question at hand. We used to meet and greet and eat together and know each other. We don't do that no more. If you know someone in person, it is so much easier to visualize what they are saying online.

Plus we used to help each other and people we don't even know. kidsfan3 comes to mind as our greatest smile. Then we got Herronized and I think that threw us all for a loop. We decided not to trust anymore.

That was probably a mistake. One bad apple don't spoil the barrel.

I love everyone I have ever met on KU and I still have a faith in it. I recently met with former members who won't come near it anymore. I think it was the religious arguments. They were vindictive and almost drove me away, to tell you the truth.

That is not the way this works.It is not the way any of this works.